An Entrepreneur’s Dilemma: The Power of the Lonesome Fallacy

We begin with the first law of human interaction: We are tribal creatures.

We have evolved to coexist in groups as a way of ensuring our very survival and the prolonging of our species as a qualifier to experiencing life on this planet.

So its no surprise that when it comes to taking a step out of the ordinary we are likely to feel a sense of terror as we step away from the tribe to do something different.

These first steps come in many forms in the business and sales world; Starting a new business venture, adding a new product or service to an existing business or even taking on a new sales methodology in the hope of boosting results.

The reason it can be so scary is because we will often unconsciously equate doing something new with splitting apart from the very tribe that is here to aid our survival.

But who could blame us? Anyone who has started a new venture of their own will recount similar experiences…

The tribe gets used to things being a certain way and if the traditional methods are shaken up, the tribe reacts in a way that suggests they take it personally.

They respond in a way that says ‘I’m used to things being normal, and now you’ve gone and changed?’

But at the end of the day it’s all OK – people are being people acting like people. Its what we do, and we’ve literally done it since the dawn of man.

It adds to what can only be termed ‘The Lonesome Fallacy’ – the idea that if we act differently from the tribe then we will be doomed to a life of solitude and loneliness – our survival immediately threatened at the core by a lack of social support.

The most important thing to realise is that this fallacy is exactly that – a fallacy.

The need to be a part of the herd doesn’t serve us like it used to, but the primal areas of the brain that thinks this is still very much a realistic threat is operating at full capacity.

This is where so much confusion comes in when we aim to do something new. One part of the brain has evolved to think differently and act outside of the box, whilst another part has remained sturdy in ensuring we remain the same.

Know this right now: Those feelings of fear involved in losing connections, relationships and social acceptance are normal. We all experience them.

We have all been part of the tribe, and we have all had desires to leave it behind.

Also know this: In the modern world, only one of those parts of the brain is really required to achieve outstanding results in our own venture.

The primal part of the brain is responding in a way that suggests it still think we are hunting our prey in the Savannah.

The primal part of the brain is responding in a way that is void of the rapid ability to create new relationships found on social media.

The primal brain knows nothing of the modern, rapid world we live in.

The more evolved part of the brain however (the neocortex) is living in the modern world, and has adapted to its environment in order to do so.

Listen to the part of the brain that is up with the times.

Listen to the part of the brain that trusts its ability to navigate the current century.

Listen to the voice within you that wants to step outside of the box, because that voice has legitimate reason to be talking right now.

The Lonesome Fallacy is the major reason you haven’t taken those first steps yet. Don’t let a fallacy become a reality only to realise later on that no matter where you go in life, you will always find the tribe that will support you based on where you are in this very moment